Benefits of Biomass Energy

Biomass energy is a renewable source of energy that is produced from things like wood, crops waste, animal matter and living crops. Biomass is used as fuel to produce electricity and other energy forms. These fuels can be in form of liquid gas or solid. The use of biomass energy has various benefits and those are mostly environmental and economic. Biomass energy has become a great alternative now days to using fossil fuels for energy production.

Reducing Carbon Footprint

Biomass energy produces less carbon footprint compared to fossil fuels. This is because new plants grow to replace the old ones that were used to produce biomass energy before. The use of fossil fuel reduces when biomass energy is produced and this lowers the carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere. The only disadvantage is that fossil fuels are usually used to harvest and manipulate biomass.

Reducing Methane Levels

With the introduction of biomass energy, methane levels in the atmosphere reduce. Methane is responsible for the greenhouse effect and with the production of biomass energy, the gas levels are lowered. Methane is usually produced when organic matter decomposes therefore by lowering it; the greenhouse effect is reduced as well.

Preventing Forest Fires

Virgin wood is one of the biomass plant materials that are used to produce biomass energy and this material is usually obtained from forests. Cutting trees may not seem like a sensible thing to do to reduce forest fires but this actually works. Harvesting trees from forests can help to prevent fire breakouts as a result of dense growth. If there are too many trees in the forest, there is a high risk of a forest fire and this is not good for the environment because it means that a lot of carbon dioxide will be released into the atmosphere.

Improved Air Quality

When biomass energy replaces fossil fuels, it helps to improve air quality because there is less pollution. The use of fossil fuels has also been blamed for causing acid rain and this is one of the benefits of biomass energy. Biomass does not produce sulfur emissions when it is being burned and this reduces any chances of acid rain. The atmospheric carbon is recycled with the use of biomass and this is an advantage because human civilization therefore ends up with less pollution.

Reliability

There is an increased demand for power and this means that people need a source of energy that can be relied upon. Biomass energy is reliable because the plant materials and animal matter that are use to produce it are in constant supply. Biomass is a reliable source of electricity therefore; people do not have to worry about power blackouts. It is also cheap to produce and this results in lower electric bills.

Recycling

Some of the sources of biomass energy include industrial waste and co-products and this is a big advantage because it means that nothing will go to waste. All the waste products that human get from industries can be used to produce biomass energy.

Advantages are numerous when it comes to Biomass fuels. Only the proper implementation is required to ensure a green world.